Farmers clash in Warsaw over EU rules and Ukrainian imports

Farmers in Poland protests against EU laws and flood of cheap Ukrainian imports, causing disruptions and increased tensions in Warsaw

In protest of EU laws and the flood of cheap Ukrainian imports, hundreds of enraged farmers marched to the streets on Wednesday, causing disruption with fires and smoke bombs. This increased tensions in Warsaw. Two cops were hurt in the altercation, according to police, and around a dozen protestors were taken into custody.

The protest, which included efforts to scale security fences protecting parliament grounds and tractor blockades on public highways around the country, brought to light the long-standing resentment among Polish farmers. Their claims of unfair competition caused by an overabundance of Ukrainian products on the market are the root of the current stalemate.

“We cannot tolerate actions that endanger the safety of our officers, such as hurling cobblestones at them,” police authorities said in response to the disturbances on X, the platform that was once known as Twitter.

A farmer from southwest Poland named Jan Kepa expressed the same grievances as many protestors, complaining about inferior imports that undercut domestic pricing. “I want to produce healthy food, but we’re importing products lower in quality than ours with which we can’t compete in terms of price,” Kepa told the media.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused enormous disruptions to the country’s agricultural industry, making farms useless due to fighting and other economic effects. In 2022, the European Union removed taxes on Ukrainian products traveling by road across its 27-nation bloc in an effort to support Kyiv’s economy. Tensions with local farmers have become worse, nevertheless, since a surplus of Ukrainian grain exports has accumulated in Poland due to logistical issues.

Notwithstanding Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion, tensions have arisen between the two countries over the border blockades and the grain issue. Similar complaints have been made in other European nations, where farmers have been protesting terrible circumstances for weeks.

Southern Polish protestor Tomasz Stachow highlighted the fight for dignity in the face of falling costs. “Right now, prices are below break-even,” said Stachow, criticizing the European Union’s “Green Deal” laws that farmers felt worsened their predicament rather than helped it.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that he was considering closing the border for goods temporarily with Ukraine in reaction to the worsening situation. In order to protect the food and agriculture markets and increase the potential for Ukrainian product exports to other nations, Tusk argued in favor of EU-wide sanctions.

On Saturday, Tusk is scheduled to have talks with Polish farmers in an attempt to listen to their complaints and look for ways to resolve the current impasse.

Source: AFP